Townsville & Magnetic Island

North Queensland's largest city, 20 minutes by ferry from Magnetic Island's wild koalas and rock-wallabies, with the Museum of Underwater Art and the legendary SS Yongala wreck dive.

Townsville is North Queensland's largest city, on the coast alongside the central Great Barrier Reef, with plenty of sunshine and around 300 sunny days a year. Its landmark is Castle Hill, a pink granite outcrop in the city centre; the Strand waterfront runs along Cleveland Bay, and Magnetic Island lies just 8 km across the water. Things to do fall into three parts. In the city, climb Castle Hill, stroll the Strand, and visit the Museum of Tropical Queensland and the Museum of Underwater Art's "Ocean Siren". Magnetic Island is a 20-minute ferry ride away: see wild koalas on the Forts Walk, swim at Horseshoe Bay and Alma Bay, and spot rock-wallabies at Geoffrey Bay – it's worth staying a night or two. Out at sea are the world-class SS Yongala wreck dive and the Coral Greenhouse on the outer reef. Day trips nearby include Billabong Sanctuary, Alligator Creek, the Paluma rainforest and, further afield, Wallaman Falls. The best season is the May–Oct dry season, which is cool, with little rain and few jellyfish; the Nov–Apr wet season is hot and humid with a risk of cyclones, so swim only inside stinger nets or wear a protective stinger suit. Townsville Airport has domestic flights from Brisbane, Cairns and elsewhere; Cairns is about 350 km away. Both the city and Magnetic Island are easy to explore by hire car or bike. Plan on 3–4 days.

Top sights

• Magnetic Island – A granite island off Townsville with more than half its area set aside as national park. It has wild koalas, rock wallabies, and more than…
• Forts Walk – Magnetic Island's most popular hiking route. Wild koalas are often seen in the eucalyptus trees along the way, and the walk ends at WWII gu…
• SS Yongala Wreck – A passenger steamer that sank in 1911 and is considered one of the world's top ten wreck dive sites, with dense schools of fish, sea turtle…
• Horseshoe Bay – The longest beach on Magnetic Island's north shore, with water sports, restaurants and sunsets, and stinger nets in place during summer.
• Radical Bay – A secluded little bay framed by granite and rainforest, with fine sand and clear water, reachable only by unsealed road or walking track.
• Alma Bay & Arcadia – A small bay on the island's east coast with lifeguards on duty, grassy areas and reef snorkelling, making it a top choice for family swimmi…
• Geoffrey Bay Rock Wallabies – Wild rock-wallabies inhabit the rocks near the old Arcadia jetty and emerge at dusk.
• Picnic Bay Jetty – The old ferry jetty and quiet bay at the southern end of Magnetic Island, a good spot for fishing and watching the sunset over Townsville.
• The Strand – A roughly 2.2 km seafront promenade along Cleveland Bay with beaches, rock pools, a water park and jetties, facing Magnetic Island.
• Museum of Underwater Art – An underwater art installation by Jason deCaires Taylor, featuring the "Sea Siren" on The Strand and the Coral Greenhouse on the outer reef.
• Castle Hill – A 286-metre pink granite hill rising from the city centre, with lookouts at the summit offering views over the city, the seafront and Magne…
• Reef HQ Aquarium – One of the world's largest living coral reef aquariums, offering a full view of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem without leaving land.
• Museum of Tropical Queensland – A museum centred on artefacts from the HMS Pandora, which sank in 1791, along with dinosaur and coral reef galleries.
• Billabong Sanctuary – A wildlife park on the southern outskirts of Townsville where visitors can hold koalas, watch saltwater crocodile feeding and interact with…
• Jezzine Barracks & Kissing Point – A historic barracks at the northern end of The Strand, converted into a cultural park, with a 19th-century gun battery overlooking the bay…
• Queens Gardens – Townsville's oldest botanic garden, established in 1870, with tropical plants and large banyan trees at the foot of Castle Hill.
• The Palmetum – A botanic garden on the banks of the Ross River dedicated to palms, with hundreds of species from around the world.
• Riverway – A free artificial swimming pool and park on the Ross River, with an art gallery and riverside walkways, popular with local families at week…
• Perc Tucker Regional Gallery – A municipal gallery on Flinders Street Mall presenting contemporary art from North Queensland and by Indigenous artists.
• Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park – A conservation area on the northern peninsula of the city, with a century-old quarantine station ruin, a Second World War gun battery and a…
• Alligator Creek, Bowling Green Bay National Park – A mountain creek and natural swimming holes within Bowling Green Bay National Park, south of the city, with walking tracks leading to a wat…
• Paluma Range & Little Crystal Creek – The southern end of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, with the natural pools of Little Crystal Creek beneath a stone arch…
• Wallaman Falls – Australia's highest single-drop waterfall, plunging about 268 metres into a rainforest gorge and part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Are…

Where to eat

• A Touch of Salt – A modern Australian restaurant on the banks of the Ross River. Several guides name it among Townsville's most represent…
• Saltwater Magnetic Island – One of the highest-rated restaurants in Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island. It has open-air seating and serves modern Austral…
• The Balcony Restaurant – An all-day brunch spot on the second floor of an old building on Flinders Street. It has been operating for over 40 yea…
• Frank's Pizza Napoli – A family-run Italian eatery open for over 40 years. It is small and cash-only, known for generous portions of home-styl…
• Wild Rice Laos Thai – Describes itself as Townsville's first Laotian-Thai restaurant. Located on the second floor on Flinders Street East, it…

Itineraries

• Townsville to Cairns Great Green Way – Head north from Townsville, spot koalas on Magnetic Island, and drive through waterfalls and rainforests via Mission Be…
• Brisbane to Cairns East Coast Road Trip – Drive approximately 1,700 km north along the Bruce Highway, connecting sand islands, the Southern Reef, the Whitsundays…